Supply Chain

Gothenburg, Sweden – September 22, 2026 -- Volvo Cars has become the lead industry partner for Horizon, an open-source software development platform built by Accenture and Google Cloud to speed up car software engineering for Android Automotive Operating System (AAOS).

Volvo Cars migrates global AAOS development to the new platform

As lead partner, Volvo Cars is moving its entire global AAOS software development environment onto Horizon, gaining access to cloud-native development tools, virtual testing environments and AI-assisted workflows. Gregor Zetsche, Head of Connected Experience at Volvo Cars, said the platform lets engineers directly tackle their toughest engineering challenges and deliver new experiences faster.

Stockholm – September 22, 2026 -- Skanska has signed a USD 84 million contract, about SEK 780 million, with an existing client to construct a data center in Georgia, USA, with the value booked into the company's US order intake for the third quarter of 2026.

Facility spans 22,700 square meters with 48 MW of designed capacity

The project covers approximately 22,700 square meters (244,730 square feet) and includes five colocation data halls plus administrative space. The build is engineered to support 48 MW of capacity.

Skanska's scope covers full delivery from civil works to commissioning

The contract encompasses civil, structural, utilities, electrical, mechanical, security, interior amenities and fit-out work, along with commissioning of major equipment through project completion.

Hangzhou, China – September 22, 2026 -- A joint survey by asmag.com and Hikvision found that 38.2% of video security professionals call storage cost or capacity a "major challenge," while another 43.2% rate it "moderate," together accounting for 81.4% of respondents.

Storage costs have climbed over the past 12 months for most operators

Asked how the storage challenge has changed compared with a year earlier, 43.2% of respondents said pressure has "increased moderately," pointing to persistent upward cost trends across video security deployments rather than a one-time spike.

Jinan – September 22, 2026 -- Bestzyme, a synthetic biology unit of GenScript Biotech, has completed what it calls the world's first dedicated, automated smart production line for sweet proteins at its Jinan facility, integrating R&D, mass production and application for the ingredient category for the first time globally.

Jinan facility delivers 100 tons of annual capacity equal to 300,000 tons of sucrose sweetness

The 5,000-square-meter plant runs a fully automated fermentation-purification-freeze-drying process for Bestzyme's flagship Mellia® Brazzein sweet protein. Once operational, the line will produce over 100 tons annually, a volume the company says matches the sweetness output of 300,000 tons of sucrose. Bestzyme expects capacity to potentially double within two years.

Dallas – September 22, 2026 -- AI Hospitality Group (AIHG) launched with $7.5 million in seed funding and a pledge to deliver more than 500 basis points of gross operating profit margin improvement to hotel owners through a fully AI-native management model. The company, founded by former Remington Hospitality CEO Sloan Dean, signs hotel management agreements directly with owners and takes responsibility for the P&L rather than licensing software to existing operators.

Hotel EBITDA margins have eroded to 20% from roughly 30% over the past decade

AIHG says U.S. hotel EBITDA margins have fallen approximately 20% since 2019, while CMBS delinquency rates for limited-service hotels hit 8.35% in July 2025, more than double their 2022 low. The company cites 65% of North American hotels reporting staffing shortages in 2025, with labor costs rising 11.2% year over year.

Milan – September 22, 2026 -- Tethis S.p.A. has completed the acquisition of the See.d software and engineering business unit from MACS S.r.l., gaining full control over intellectual property and engineering know-how behind its liquid biopsy platform. Alongside the transfer, Tethis signed a long-term manufacturing and supply agreement with Everex S.r.l., an Italian in-vitro diagnostic instrumentation maker, to handle production and future scale-up of the system.

Tethis consolidates full ownership of its liquid biopsy pre-analytical platform

See.d is the cornerstone of Tethis' liquid biopsy workflow, developed jointly with MACS to standardize pre-analytical blood processing. From a single blood sample, the platform generates plasma for cfDNA analysis and cytology slides preserving nucleated cells for downstream characterization, automating plasma separation, red blood cell lysis, and deposition onto Tethis' proprietary SmartBioSurface slides.

Elmhurst, N.Y. – September 22, 2026 -- Century Fasteners Corp. will exhibit at the 2026 International Fastener Expo in Phoenix, Arizona, from October 7-9, presenting its authorized distributor relationship with Cherry Aerospace at Booth 2756.

Century Fasteners expands aerospace fastener access through Cherry Aerospace distribution deal

Century Fasteners Corp., an authorized distributor for Cherry Aerospace, said the partnership broadens availability of Cherry's fastening systems to distributors and OEMs. Cherry Aerospace, headquartered in Santa Ana, California, is a member of the SPS Fastener Division of Precision Castparts Corp. and manufactures the CherryMax line of rivets, widely used across the aerospace industry alongside blind bolts, rivetless nut plates, shear pin fasteners and installation tools.

Mexico City – September 22, 2026 -- ESENTIA Energy Development, S.A.B. de C.V. (BMV: ESENTIA) has agreed to acquire 100% of Energía Occidente de México, S. de R.L. de C.V. (EOM) for a gross purchase price of US$400 million, the company announced.

The deal, signed today, gives ESENTIA the approximately 313-kilometer Guadalajara-Manzanillo natural gas pipeline system, which runs from Jalisco to the Pacific port of Manzanillo, Colima.

Acquisition links Permian Basin gas supply to the Pacific coast

The Guadalajara-Manzanillo System interconnects directly with ESENTIA's existing Villa de Reyes-Aguascalientes-Guadalajara (VAG) pipeline, operated by its subsidiary Esentia Pipeline de Occidente. Upon closing, ESENTIA says it would become the only private company operating an integrated natural gas pipeline network connecting the Permian Basin in Texas to Mexico's Pacific coast.

West Chester, Ohio – September 22, 2026 -- Upside Innovations, a SixAxis company, has launched FlowRail, a patent-pending prefabricated aluminum guardrail system that adjusts continuously in the field across slopes, curves, corners and grade changes without custom fabrication or on-site welding.

Adjustable base spans 0 to 20 degrees for any ramp or platform

FlowRail's continuously adjustable base moves from 0° to 20°, keeping posts plumb on ramps, walkways or platforms. Pivoting connections follow curves, corners and switchbacks without splice castings or custom fittings, allowing a single product line to cover an entire installation run.

Copenhagen – – September 22, 2026 -- Lightera has committed major capital to expand submarine optical fiber manufacturing in Denmark and the United States, a move set to nearly triple production capacity by 2029.

Lightera targets tripled output to meet surging subsea bandwidth demand

The expansion covers Lightera's manufacturing centers in Brøndby, Denmark, and Norcross, Georgia, which supply optical fiber for undersea communications networks worldwide. Company CEO Holly Hulse said the investment secures existing customer commitments while preparing capacity for future submarine cable programs.